GW Softball Blanked by Massachusetts

Bats Fall Silent in Doubleheader Sweep

WASHINGTON - The George Washington softball team saw its bats go silent against one of the top pitchers in the Atlantic 10 Conference on Sunday afternoon at GW Softball Field on the Mount Vernon Campus, falling to league-leading Massachusetts by scores of 8-0 and 2-0.

UMass ace Sara Plourde (20-9), who leads the nation in strikeouts and fewest hits allowed per seven innings, did not allow a hit in either game while striking out 25 GW batters.

The Minutewomen (21-11, 8-0 A-10) dominated the first game offensively, as well, scoring one run in the first, four in the second and three in the fifth to defeat the Colonials, 8-0, in five innings. Plourde's two-out three-run homer in the second gave UMass a 5-0 lead, and the visitors recorded four hits in the fifth, including an RBI single by shortstop Quianna Diaz-Patterson that drove in the winning run.

GW (15-26, 5-7 A-10) put just two balls in play, as Plourde struck out 13 batters in the game, including nine in a row, but the Colonials did manage five base runners, thanks to four walks and a hit-batter. Senior Lauren Wilson reached base in all three trips to the plate, as she walked twice and was hit by a pitch, and she also stole two bases.

Sophomore starter Courtney Martin (2-6) took the loss after giving up four runs (one earned) on two hits and four walks in 1.1 innings of work. Senior Heidi Penna and freshman Chelsey Pedley also pitched in the game.

Penna (1-1) turned in a strong performance on the mound in the nightcap, as she allowed just two runs on five hits and one walk in her first complete game of the season. Plourde, however, though not as dominant as game one, still struck out 12 Colonials batters without allowing a hit.

The Minutewomen took a quick lead just two batters into the game, as left fielder Cyndil Matthew led off the game with a single, stole second and scored on Diaz-Patterson's base hit. But Penna settled down from there, allowing just three hits the rest of the game - including another home run by Plourde, a solo shot in the sixth inning that made it 2-0.

GW had at least one base runner in four of the first five innings, loading the bases in the second on an error and two walks, but could not push a run across the plate. The Colonials walked five times in the game and stole four bases, including two by senior Amanda Zakeri.

The Colonials return to action on Wednesday, when they host A-10 rival La Salle for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.